PORT RICHEY, FL -- Homeowners and pets – are trying to wrap their heads around how water can fill up an entire neighborhood.
The Suncoast Gateway Mobile Home Village in Port Richey now looks like a fountain. An involuntary evacuation has been put in place Saturday and many are taking heed, while some are braving it out like a 98-year-old woman.
Homeowners like Stephen Hatfield just want the water gone.
Reporter: How long have you lived here?
Hatfield: “Two weeks.”
Hatfield’s wife is away staying in an RV with their dog, while he monitors the flooding.
"My hope now is they get some pumps out here and put some drainage in," he said.
With everything going, you would think it couldn’t get much worse for those who live in the mobile homes, but authorities say it can. If the water continues to creep up on the transformer for the neighborhood, they’ll have to shut the power off.
That was the case for some other Pasco communities, ending in mandatory evacuations.
Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad says he needs more help from the county to fix the problem.
"It really needs to be addressed and it needs to be addressed ASAP, so it never happens again," he said.
Just across the street, businesses face the same fate. But, that’s not stopping some of them from closing down.
"It shows resilience of people of the area and it shows that Tampa Bay is a prosperous community even in adverse conditions," said Andrew Poligo with the Firing Line Gun Range.
If you’re in a flooded area, the county urges you to follow the warnings and not put your life in danger.
If you would like to know who to call about storm damage, CLICK HERE.
